Madison County ROE Superintendent Bob Daiber to run for Illinois governor

EDWARDSVILLE — There isn’t a whole lot Bob Daiber hasn’t seen in his 38 years in public service.

That’s his message ahead of formally announcing his candidacy for Illinois governor Monday. The Madison County regional superintendent of schools is set to make his announcement at noon at the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities, 1210 N. Main St. in Edwardsville.

“I’ve got in-depth experience in a multi-faceted way, and hope that I can capitalize on my lifetime of experience to relate to all of Illinois,” Daiber told The Telegraph.

Daiber, 60, is a Marine resident and has been the county’s regional superintendent of schools since 2007. Prior to that, he spent 28 years as a public school teacher, also serving as a Madison County Board member, Marine Township supervisor and as a member of the Marine Village Board in that time.

Daiber received his undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University and his doctorate from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. On top of his public service duties, Daiber is also the owner of a centennial farm in Alhambra Township, his wife is a small-businessperson and he has served as a president of a local labor union.

Having “seen the gamut of Illinois,” Daiber said he believes he is best-positioned of the three current candidates to challenge Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner.

“It’s no big secret, we are in a real financial crisis in this state,” Daiber said. “I believe that the governor has a chief responsibility to submit a budget and help promote the state of Illinois. I don’t see that happening.

“We have to have a compromise to this crisis. My candidacy will work to develop an atmosphere of compromising collaboration.”

Education funding, or lack thereof, has been front and center for Daiber in recent years as he has worked with local school districts to navigate the state’s proration of general aid. Daiber acknowledged discussions of changing the formula for determining aid but said the current system needs to be functional before any changes can be discussed.

“There are a lot of proposals out there, but let’s get down to basic facts — we have to be able to fully fund general state aid before making radical shifts, and we haven’t been able to do that,” Daiber said.

Daiber said dealing with at-risk youth in the state is another of his platforms in running for office, noting the “Give 30” mentoring program Daiber introduced in Madison County last year.

Daiber also said he believes the state needs a proactive approach to developing business growth, mentioning Alton’s high-speed rail project as one with “tremendous growth opportunity.” Examining the state’s Medicaid and Medicare programs, dealing with health insurance in the wake of the Affordable Care Act and ensuring the state’s Department of Central Management Services is running as efficiently as possible are just a few of the other items on Daiber’s agenda, he said.

Daiber is the third gubernatorial candidate to announce intentions to run for the Democratic nomination in 2018, following Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar and Chris Kennedy, the son of late Sen. Robert Kennedy. Daiber is the only one of the three who doesn’t hail from Chicago but said he doesn’t believe representing downstate is a huge hurdle for his candidacy to overcome.

“The more that people in Chicagoland get to know me, the more they’re going to identify with what I’ve got to say about fixing Illinois,” Daiber said, noting that he was well-received at a fundraising event in Chicago last Saturday. “They’re going to see a down-to-earth person.”

More than anything, Daiber said his experience in government at the local level will benefit him as he focuses on 2018 and beyond.

“Our local governments really need to be commended for holding the state together right now,” Daiber said. “I’ve been part of that, so I bring to this campaign firsthand knowledge of government that’s closest to its people. If I didn’t think this mess could be straightened out, I wouldn’t be doing this.”